• National Stadium turf fails yet another test • Pitch may need to be re-grassed
BG reporter

FOOTBALL
The upgrading of the National Stadium, which started as an exciting project, has turned out to be a torture for government, sport codes and sports fans due to the delay in completion.
This has come with a high cost to all stakeholders, with football teams, including the national team, being forced to use alternative venues which are out of town, or the UB stadium which has a small capacity.
The delay is said to be a result of the drainage system which was not constructed to the given specifications, and the use of the wrong type of soil on the playing surface. This use of incorrect soil type has affected drainage underground and the development of the roots as water cannot easily penetrate the soil. As a result, patches of water remain stagnant all over even when a sprinkler is used to water the grass. It is further said there has been a serious difference of opinion between the stakeholders as the company subcontracted to lay the turf have long indicated that all was not well, while the contractor insisted that his instructions be followed without fail.
The consultant has since admitted to government that all was not well with the project and has asked to be given time to complete the project.
The project is now 99 percent complete. All office buildings are complete and ready for use. The problem only lies with the playing surface.
The playing surface failed all pre-tests done in accordance with FIFA requirements on it, the last being last Friday.
Despite two extensions offered by Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and Technology (MIST) on the project, the contractor still failed to meet the given deadlines. Indications are the stadium may not be used until late in the year.
This would mean that even the Independence celebrations will again not be held there.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Carter Morupisi, confirmed that while all is completed, the playing surface has failed the latest test.
The ministry was testing the surface in accordance with the FIFA requirements which stipulate that certain standards must be met for safety purposes.
“The only problem we have with the facility is to do with the design of the pitch drainage system. The pitch drainage ability to meet the intended purpose was tested on July 23 this year and it did not perform as expected,” he said.
Morupisi revealed that the playing surface still had patches of water in some areas a day after the test.
The official contractor is Hitecon (Pty) Ltd and has engaged its own domestic sub-contractors like Bonanza, who are responsible for mechanical works, Zoe Electrical, and Top Turf Landscapes who have engaged Loci Environmental. The lead consultants are Tectura International.
The project commenced on 10 November 2008 and the original contract period was 425 days, intended to elapse by 10 January 2010. However, on 28 January, the contractor applied for extension, citing natural causes such as rain among the reasons which delayed the construction.
The ministry extended the contract by 157 days to make it a total of 582 calendar days, which the contractor still failed to meet as the stadium is not ready.
The contract value is P66, 601,782.08; expenditure to date is P55, 470, 212.25
 In terms of the costs the project is within budget, and government does not anticipate cost overruns. However, the ministry expects the project to be completed within the contract sum plus 15 percent.
Morupisi attributed the slow progress at the stadium to poor performance of both the contractor and the consultants.
He said the ministry has asked the consultants to come up with corrective action items to be implemented within a short space of time for the pitch to be used within one month.
Morupisi said the ministry has a binding legal contract with Hitecon Pty LTD, as the contractor and Tectura International as consultant, “but we have decided not to interfere with their progress, but rather to wait until they give us a completion certificate, which indicates the project is ready for use. Once we are given the certificate, we will perform all the necessary tests to ensure we have received a good product that is value for our money. If anything fails, then those that we have contracted will normalise the situation at their own cost. All we are doing is to safeguard government interest,” he said.
Morupisi said this explains why the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture was asked not to officially open the Lobatse stadium on July 6 because they feared that the move could lead to the turf, which was not done properly, being completely damaged before being handed over.
Tectura International director, Angela Kyallo-Muli, confirmed the delay. “Although we are almost finished, we experienced technical problems with the contractor as they did not do the right thing with the drainage system, which is not working as expected,” she said. Other stakeholders could not be reached for comment.